Aponogeton ranunculiflorus
| Sehlabathebe water lily | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Monocots |
| Order: | Alismatales |
| Family: | Aponogetonaceae |
| Genus: | Aponogeton |
| Species: | A. ranunculiflorus |
| Binomial name | |
| Aponogeton ranunculiflorus Jacot Guill. & Marais, 1972[1] | |
Aponogeton ranunculiflorus, the Sehlabathebe water lily, is a tiny and endangered species[2] of aquatic plant, that belongs to the pondweed family Aponogetonaceae. It is protected in the Sehlabathebe National Park in the mountains of Lesotho, where it is very localized,[2] and nearby in the uKhahlamba / Drakensberg Park of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.[3] Outside these areas it is seriously threatened. It is found in sandstone rock pools, up to 7 metres deep, and in permanently wet tarns or sensitive high altitude mires,[3] at altitudes between about 2,600 and 3,200 metres. Its spiralled stems allow the flowers to remain at surface level.[2] Threats to the species include overgrazing and trampling by cattle, overburning, erosion and subsistence farming.[3] Their small (1 cm) corms can survive the drying out of the pools, or being frozen into the muddy bottoms.[4]
References
- ↑ Jacot Guillarmod, A.; Marais, W. (1972). "A new species of Aponogeton (Aponogetonaceae)". Kew Bulletin. 27 (3): 563–65. doi:10.2307/4114366.
- 1 2 3 Wickison, Sue. "Aponogeton ranunculiflorus". suewickison.com. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
- 1 2 3 Agenbag, L.; Scott-Shaw C.R., 2010. "Aponogeton ranunculiflorus". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.3. Archived from the original on 27 June 2014. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
- ↑ Jacot Guillarmod, A. (1978). "Notes on distribution and biology of Aponogeton ranunculiflorus". Kew Bulletin. 32 (4): 781–83. doi:10.2307/4109774. JSTOR 4109774.